Hey, here’s a new and exciting deal. Buy a car; get 100 shares of GM stock. “Join us in jump starting America,” says the sales pitch. Unfortunately, GM’s shares are trading at 66 year low today as a bailout looks doubtful.
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GM's Prez Begs Customers To Plead On GM's Behalf
By 11.18.08
Consumerist reader Darkrose writes, “I just got this in my e-mail. Thought you guys might be interested in it.” In the email, GM’s president Troy Clarke is in high PR mode, pointing out the grave consequences and emphasizing that GM wants not “a bailout but rather a loan that will be repaid.” We thought other readers who aren’t GM customers would find it interesting.
GM Almost Out Of Cash, Looks To Washington For Bailout
By 11.7.08
GM is running out of money and may not have enough cash to continue running its business. They’ve burned through $6.8 billion in the last quarter and will exhaust their reserves by the end of 2008 without government intervention or a significant increase in auto sales. Which sounds more likely to you?
Hundreds Of Car Dealerships Are Apparently Doomed
By 10.2.08
After the failure of the nation’s largest Chevy dealerships brought the plight of the car dealer to everyone’s attention, the bleeding hasn’t stopped. The California New Car Dealers Association says dozens of dealerships in CA have also closed.
Washington Considering $25 Billion Loan Handout For U.S. Auto Makers
By 9.9.08
What do you do when your industry starts to go belly up and you can’t make enough revenue to stay afloat? If you’re a short-sighted U.S. auto maker, you beg the government for $25-50 billion in immediate, low-interest loans in order to retool your plants, so you can start producing the hybrid cars you should have been planning years ago.
"King Of Cars" Closes Hummer Dealership, Will Start Selling Smart Cars
By 9.8.08
The Wall Street Journal’s “Deal Journal” blog says that the owner of the car dealership that serves as the backdrop to A&E’s “King of Cars” will close his Hummer dealership and begin selling “Smart Cars.”
GM Recalls Nearly 1 Million Vehicles With Defective Windshield Wiper Systems
By 8.30.08
Can your late-model GM vehicle melt snow and ice with a blast of heated windshield wiper fluid? It might be one of 944,000 vehicles with a faulty heating system that can cause odors, smoke, or even a surprise car fire.
Maybe GM Can't Sell Cars Because Its Dealerships Won't Sell Them
By 8.21.08
Consumerist reader Chris decided to take advantage of GM’s please-buy-a-car Employee Discount sale that we wrote about yesterday, so he headed off to two different dealerships in the NY/NJ area. What he found were deserted showrooms with salesmen who ignored him or argued with him over the existence of specific models he’d looked at online. He adds, “tonight I’m off to Toyota for some hard numbers on a Corolla and Camry.”
GM's 'Employee Pricing' Sales Mean Big Discounts On Cars Right Now
By 8.20.08
GM is desperate to boost its sales this month, so the company is offering some steep discounts under its “Employee Pricing” sale. The car blog KickingTires is covering the discounts and points out that “almost all of the prices are around 10% off, which is big in terms of car sales.” For example, you can save $9,000 on a Hummer H3. Of course, you’ll spend that much on gas for it in the first week, but there are other options as well, like Saturns, Chevys, and even the 2008 Corvette Z06 (which we mention separately because KickingTires says powerful sports cars are usually exempt from this sort of sale, but not this time).
GMAC Insurance: Drive Less, Pay Less
By 7.30.08
People who drive fewer than 15,000 miles per year can save 13-54% on their GMAC insurance premiums under a GMAC Insurance’s new Low-Mileage Discount. All you have to do is opt-in to let OnStar monitor your mileage. The average annual vehicle mileage is about 12,000 miles, according to the Department of Energy’s Annual Energy Review ’06, so it looks like most people with GMAC insurance and OnStar could save under OnStar’s Low-Mileage Discount Program. With the need to save every dollar on your car, this could be a good program for eligible drivers to check out by calling 1-800-GMAC-123 or going to gmacinsurance.com.
By 7.2.08
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Anyone got $15 billion laying around? Merrill Lynch says GM needs it. Bad. [Reuters]
By 6.25.08
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In an effort to spur sales, General Motors is offering no-interest, six-year loans on new vehicle purchases through June 30th. Unfortunately, only the slow-selling models (i.e., not very fuel efficient) are included in the sale. Oh, also they’re raising prices on 2009 models. [New York Times]
G.M. Will Close 4 Plants, May Sell "Hummer"
By 6.3.08
Gas prices are changing consumer behavior says G.M., forcing the manufacturer to slash production and close 4 plants as they make the shift toward more fuel efficient vehicles. They also announced that they may sell the “Hummer” brand.
Researchers Hack Remote Keyless Car Entry Devices
By 8.28.07
Researchers have figured out a way to hack remote keyless car entry devices. The threat to the consumer is minimal, it takes several hours to crack the code, but it does give one pause, especially considering that if the Keeloq’s manufacturer added a few simple measures they could render the exploit nearly useless.
GM Says It Will Release Electric Car in 2010
By 8.12.07
This week, GM announced it plans to begin testing its plug-in, rechargeable car, the Chevrolet Volt, in the spring of next year. Says GM bigwig Bob Lutz, “We’ll have some on the road for testing next spring, and we should have the Volt in production by the end of 2010.” The secret ingredient to the Volt’s claim of 40-miles-per-charge is its “next-generation” lithium-ion battery, which is designed to last for 10 years, and which Lutz says will be ready by this October. Can we get one for our laptops?
Subprime Mortgage Debacle Makes General Motors Cry
By 5.3.07
Hey, you may be asking yourself, why are GM’s profits down 90% from this quarter last year?
Consumerist Confessions: Tell Us About Cars…
By 3.27.07
The Consumerist is interested in hearing from car salespeople and customer service representatives in the automotive field. We’re looking for tips related to buying a new or used car. If you are or once were a car salesperson or worked in a car dealership and would like to confess, write to us at tips [at] consumerist [dot] com.
BBB Sluts For GM
By 2.1.07
The BBB is GM’s bitch, at least that’s what we gather from a post by David Berlind, Executive Editor at ZDNet.
